This invention relates generally to washing systems and, more particularly, to a system for washing bulk containers.
Re-usable bulk containers are used by suppliers to deliver commodities or goods to customers. The customer may store the container in an area exposed to dust or other contaminants. In some cases, the customer also may incorporate the container into the customer's process for using the good or commodity. For example, seed suppliers may provide seeds to farmers in bulk containers, and those containers may be coupled to a planter to provide seeds as needed while the farmer sows a field using the planter. Through delivery and customer storage and usage of the containers, outside surfaces of the containers may become encrusted with dust, dirt, or other unsightly or unsanitary matter. Typically, a re-usable container is returned to the supplier after the customer removes the good or commodity. The supplier may wish to wash the outside surfaces of the container before refilling and distributing the container to another customer.
The outside surfaces of such containers may be washed by an individual wielding a water hose and left to dry in the ambient air. However, such manual washing is labor-intensive and time-consuming, and ambient air drying also is time-consuming. Moreover, while systems for washing bulk containers are known, such systems focus on the inside of the containers, where special handling and disposal procedures may be needed if a good or commodity last held by the container included regulated substances. Accordingly, such known washing systems are complicated and expensive to maintain and operate.